The Finishing Rhyme
by FiveForFighting09
Summary: Years had past since the day that had catapulted Tony on the course he was walking. He has run from his past long enough, now, it was his turn to figure out why. Conclusion to the Rhapsody!Verse.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I can't believe it's almost been six months to the day since the last part of this was posted. I bet many of you thought I had abandoned this verse. But alas! I have not. Finally, after months of hard work and extreme writers block concerning this story, I am presenting you with the sixth, and last piece to the first multi-chapter verse I ever did for NCIS. It has been a wonderful experience, and I hope you all are happy with this story. Once again, thank you so much for all your kind words and for the people who sent PMs, which kindly kicked me in the behind to get this story started. Without further adieu, the last story to the Leaving Rhapsody!Verse.**

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><p>Chapter One<p>

_**Finishing:**_ _**Something that completes, concludes, or perfects; to arrive at or attain the end**_

_**Rhyme: **__**identity **__**in **__**sound **__**of **__**some **__**part, **__**especially**__** at **__**the **__**end**_

* * *

><p><em>It was dark, when he opened his eyes. <em>

_Somewhere out there, he could hear the voices._

_Faster…Slow down….Coming for….Hurry…._

_He stood shakily to his feet. Everything hurt. He didn't understand. His arm wasn't working right and it felt as if someone was inside his brain, playing with the controls to his hearing._

_Coming….Look….Over there…..Find him….Bring him back….._

_Who was out there? What had he done? Were they looking for him? Why? What had he done?_

_He used the hand that didn't hurt to pat himself down. He searched quickly and blindly. It was dark. Voices were all around him and someone was coming, looking for him._

_But why?_

_Kick his butt…..Find him….Shoot him….Look…._

_He stumbled back, biting down hard on his lower lip to keep the scream of pain in his throat. He searched faster, coming up on an ID of some sort. It was too dark to see it really good but he could make out the first name._

_Anthony._

_Kill him….Tony's out….._

_Anthony set the ID down, continuing his search. _

"_Look…here!" a voice rang out, about fifty yards away from where Anthony stood. Why couldn't he hear right?_

_Anthony stood. He had to move. He couldn't let them catch him._

_Hurry Anthony, before you father…_

_Anthony, my dear boy, why in such a rush…_

_Anthony grabbed his head with his hands. Too many voices. Too loud but too soft. His head hurt. Everything hurt._

_Hurry Anthony. They're getting closer._

_Anthony please, do listen…_

_Anthony go-_

_Anthony don't-_

_Anthony hurry-_

_Anthony-_

"_Stop stop stop," Anthony whispered. It hurt. He didn't understand what was happening...he didn't-there were too many voices, too many noises everywhere. He didn't know what to do. His head hurt and nothing was right._

_What-_

_Run!_

_So Anthony turned his back and ran._

Tony opened his eyes and gasped, the old familiar nightmare taking his breath away just like it did every time he happened to dream it.

It didn't happen often, not anymore at least, but every time it did, Tony knew what to expect.

Soon, Tony's back muscles would spasm. They did so every time Tony tensed his muscles, something he had a habit of doing when he woke up of a particularly nasty dream.

Sure enough, Tony bit his lip as the lower back started to tighten. It was gonna hurt.

Brooke, who had more than likely woken up when Tony had woken up gasping, rolled over and placed her hand on Tony's chest.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, mindful of the other person sleeping in their room.

Tony hummed his answer, not fully trusting himself to open his mouth and not scream in agony.

"Let me go get your medicine," Brooke made a move to get out of bed but Tony reached over and grabbed her hand out of desperation.

"Stay," Tony whispered, "Just…stay."

Brooke frowned, knowing the pain would more than likely continue to escalate.

"Honey," Brooke whispered, laying her hand on his stomach.

"Please," Tony breathed before closing his eyes. He knew that most of the time, the back pain wouldn't just go away. But he had to believe that each day it was getting better.

That he was getting better.

And if that meant suffering through a few minutes of torture, then Tony could do that.

* * *

><p><em>A month after leaving the hospital, Brooke's due date was set for less than six months away.<em>

"_That's a lot shorter than I remember babies taking," Tony smiled from his place in his wheelchair, "But according to some of the doctors I might have brain damage so I could be wrong."_

"_Tony," Brooke huffed in exasperation and rolled her eyes are her husband, "I might have known for awhile. But with…well, with what happened and everything that lead up to this I…I just wanted to be sure. And the chance for miscarriage goes down after the first trimester and I just…before I told you, I wanted to be sure."_

_Tony shook his head, "You should have told me. You shouldn't have had to carry that by yourself."_

_Brooke smiled before leaning forward, placing her head on his shoulder. It took Tony a few seconds to realize that Brooke was crying._

"_It's gonna be okay," Tony whispered, wishing he could stand and hold his wife properly._

"_In six months, I promise," Tony hugged Brooke tighter, thanking the heavens that he had such a strong woman for a wife, "I'll be walking by then. I don't care what the docs say. I'll be walking and you and our baby will be just fine."_

* * *

><p>"Nate!" Tony yelled, hoping his son hadn't left for school yet.<p>

"Yeah Pops?" Nate glanced in, a frown quickly shifting across his face when he saw his dad in his wheelchair. His back was bad today then, if Pops was in the chair. Most of the time he walked around the house using his forearm crutches.

"Can you check on Lizzy? I can't," Tony huffed in annoyance and shook his head, "Mom's already left for work and I don't think I'll be able to lift her out of the crib."

"No problem Pops," Nate turned and hurried down the hall, walking into the room. Sure enough, Lizzy was crying, a soft mew that reminded Nate more of a small kitten than the one month old baby she was.

Max, his now twelve year old son, hurried in, leaning over and giving his dad a kiss, "Papa Pete's gonna take me to school so I gotta go now."

"Love you Max," Tony gave the middle boy a hug and a kiss before waving at his surrogate father. Pete gave Tony a wave before closing the door behind him.

"Daddy," Jake walked in, his chubby three year old legs carrying him quickly over to his dad, "I go bye with Mom? And Nate?"

"No," Tony shook his head, "We're staying home today. Okay?"

Jake let out a long winded sigh, as if a travesty had just occurred, "Kay daddy."

"Here you go Pops," Nate brought Lizzy over to his dad, "I changed her diaper. Did mom feed her?"

Snagging his pillow from the nearby table, Tony set the pillow on his lap, securing it with the Velcro straps before taking Lizzy from Nate and setting her in the valley of the pillow.

"No, it's about time to," Tony adjusted the tiny socks on her feet before rolling over to the kitchen.

"Do you need help?" Nate asked quietly.

"No," Tony said, working to keep the frustration out of his voice. When Lizzy had first been born, Tony would have needed help. But as he became more mobile, the amount of help he needed decreased, "You get to school on time before I tell John to let you have it at practice."

Nate laughed, "Dad, you know Mr. Fields wouldn't be able to make me do anything without stuttering it for a few minutes."

"Give me another year," Tony smiled at the thought of his sometimes overly-shy coaching assistant, "You'll see. One more year and he won't be a stuttering guy anymore."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much for those who read and even more so to those who reviewed. I'm so glad you are enjoying this story. :) Next chapter should be up by Tuesday and if you're also reading _How Tony Broke His Head, _that chapter will be up later today or early tomorrow. As always, reviews are very much appreciated. **

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

_It's the craziest thing sometimes, Tony thinks when he's home alone, both Lizzy and Jake napping for the day._

_The hurt hits so hard it's almost as if Tony's being slammed to the ground by that car again._

_Only this time, Tony knows that Lee is nowhere around to break his fall…or help block the hurt._

_It hits so hard it takes Tony's breath away, and the worst part about that sort of pain is that Tony can't take a pill to take it away._

_But now that he has his family, and now that they are safe, maybe Tony can open the box back up._

_It's scary, to wonder what he'll find there._

_He knows he'll find a coin, and a belt buckle. Everything else well._

_It's up in the wind._

* * *

><p>"Go go go!" Tony yelled, wheeling down the court, glad that his players kept their feet firmly underneath the bench. It had take a few incidences but all his players had finally gotten in the habit of avoiding coaches wheels.<p>

Their point guard, a small freshman named Leo, threw the ball behind his back to their wing, a tall junior named Josh. Josh in turned lobbed it over to Nate who jumped and gently placed the ball in the basket.

"Now get back!" Tony did an about face and wheeled back. The team hurried back, trying to stop the fast break. They were holding onto their lead by a thread and this game would determine if his team would continue their run at State.

John, or Mouse, as everyone had taken to calling him for his twitchy and quiet demeanor, hummed in excitement.

"Are you blind?" Mouse suddenly yelled, springing out of his chair and yelling at the ref as he passed. They had given the ball to the other team when none of Tony's players had been anywhere near the out of bounds ball, "Cause you can use my glasses if you can't see!"

The ref turned around, "Coach, might want to control your assistant."

Tony, who had been giving a quick word of advice to Josh, turned to look at his assistant with a kind of "what the heck" expression on his face.

Mouse, whose brain had just caught up with what his mouth had just done, did a quick about face and sat back down, burying his face in his hands.

"I need a Vicodin before I stroke," Mouse lamented, "Oh dear goodness Tony. This was so much easier to handle when we were losing all the time."

Tony wheeled over and laughed at his friend, "You gonna control that mouth of yours before we get a technical foul Mouse?"

"I think I'll stick to stats, thank you very much," Mouse glanced up before covering his face, "Tell me how it ends. I can't watch anymore."

Tony glanced once more at his friend before nudging a freshmen to Mouse's left, "Tell me if he has a coronary, got it Sean?"

"Yes Coach," Sean smiled, despite the nervousness he felt due to the close game.

Tony turned to wheel away but glanced over his shoulder when Mouse let out a loud "Blind! Blind!" at the refs once more.

"Final warning," the ref glared at Mouse.

"Mouse!" Tony yelled his own warning, his face stuck somewhere between a smirk and a look of complete utter amazement, "Shut it!"

"Oh my, oh my," Mouse seemed to finally come back to himself. Tony tried not to laugh but he couldn't help it when Mouse's face completely fell.

"You gonna be okay Mouse?" Tony asked his normally twitchy, but quiet, assistant.

"My mother would be so ashamed," Mouse practically cried before covering his beat red face.

"About time," Tony whispered, proud of his assistant.

Now, they just had to win this game.

* * *

><p><em>Google offered no help whatsoever.<em>

_But then, Tony hadn't expected much when he put "How to search for your origins when you had a mysterious past"._

_Maybe "How to find yourself when you were lost" would provide better search results._

_Nope, nothing there._

_Tony had gotten the coin and the belt buckle for the box and had started there._

_The belt buckle wasn't special, at least not to anyone but Tony, but it offered no help. A couple of sites sold the belt that Tony had and none of the help desks from the company had been able to give him the answers he wanted without a search warrant._

_That had almost frustrated Tony to the point of not looking anymore but then Tony still had the coin._

_And the coin was a bit more special than Tony had anticipated._

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><p>"Stop."<p>

"Stop!"

"Please, stop," Tony pushed his head back against the pillow as pain radiated from his legs, up his back and into his soul, "Please."

He might be groveling. He might be pleading like a blubbering fool.

But at the time, Tony didn't care. He could only focus on the all consuming pain that was in his body right now.

But the pain wouldn't stop.

"Almost Deuce, just a little more for today."

Tony bit his lip and tried to think of any moment other than this.

He hated physical therapy. With a passion. He didn't want to move his lower half- it hurt enough when Tony was just sitting there, and here were these crazy people moving it so that he could "start regaining his range of motion".

"Guys!" Tony bit his lip-hard-hoping that this would end before Brooke came back into the room. It was bad enough that he was crying in front of two guys. He didn't want to add Brooke to that list.

"Almost," was all the stupid therapist kept saying.

If Tony had had enough breath, he would explain just what he thought about the word almost.

But he didn't so instead he just smiled, because what else could he do?

* * *

><p><em>A challenge coin. <em>

_The name was helpful, sure, Tony guessed, but then names usually were._

_But a name didn't tell Tony what the coin meant to him before and what it meant that he had it now. _

_The Secretary of the Navy. _

_The United States Navy. _

_Was Tony in the military? Did that explain the scars on his head and the way he knew how to fight and shoot?_

_But then Tony would have ID. He would have been missing. AWOL. _

_Away without Leave._

_But Tony had left without anything really, and no one had been there to find him. _

_Which raised a whole bunch of questions. If Tony had left, and he hadn't been in the military, then why did he have the coin?_

_A challenge coin._

_If only hope was easier to hold onto. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is up, with the next one soon to follow. Thanks to those who read, and even more so to those who review. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

Tony gripped the handle bars and took deep breaths, in through his nose, out through his mouth.

It shouldn't have to be so hard.

But it was.

"Alright Deuce, here we go, nice and slow," the therapist said confidently, as if _he_ was the one whose arms were shaking with fatigue as they held the parallel bars and whose leg trembled in anticipation.

"Slow," Tony agreed, clenching his teeth as the therapist's helper moved his knee.

"Ah!" Tony yelled and almost let go of the bars that were supporting most of his weight. If it hadn't of been for Mel, the big guy who was currently holding his safety belt, he would have probably fallen.

"Alright one more," Mel said, nodding to his assistant, Kat, to get ready to move Tony's leg again.

"No," Tony shook his head, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep himself up much longer, "No more. Sit, I need to sit."

"Alright Tony," Mel agreed and moved over as he helped Tony settle in the wheelchair.

"Hurts," Tony panted leaning forward and grabbing the offending appendage.

Mel sighed, "I know Deuce. And it's going to hurt for a long time. But it'll get better."

Tony nodded and used a shaky hand to wipe the sweat off his face. Times like these were the times that Tony doubted whether or not he could do it.

But he didn't regret what brought him here.

Not even now.

A memory from long ago came back and instead of stopping it or forcing it like Tony had done in the past, he let it come on its own, slowly but surely, like that train.

Following the pattern of breathing that someone had taught him _before_, Tony worked hard to regulate his breathing and in turn, his heart rate.

Short shallow breaths wouldn't help with the pain. Neither would long, slow steady breaths, Tony knew, but at least they would make him feel better.

* * *

><p><em>It had to be a little funny, Tony guessed.<em>

_It couldn't be anything thing else, Tony surmised, other than sad._

_And Tony couldn't-wouldn't let himself go there. Not now._

_Because his family was safe and he had lived._

_After all he had lived through in the past four-almost five years of not knowing, Tony knew this much for certain._

_Family was worth everything._

_And Tony had his._

_Now to just find his other half._

* * *

><p>Tony liked watching movies that came on the TV when he wasn't in therapy.<p>

They showed a lot of classics and Tony figured he must have loved movies, still loved movies, because some of them, he could recite word for word.

Brooke found it funny and would laugh at him when she wasn't reading her magazine or feeding baby Lizzy.

If Tony wasn't watching movies though, he was feeding baby Lizzy. She was cute, even if Tony was exceptionally biased, and had wispy light brown hair that curled endearingly around her ears. Her eyes were hazel but Tony could see that the green was creeping in and hiding the other colors that use to be there.

He would hold her as he waited for his appointment, and he would try not to cry. She was the first girl, the first part of him that he had ever seen, and she was so tiny.

Was it possible that his boys could have ever been so small?

"Hey Deuce!" Mel, his main physical therapist called out, peeking out from behind the door, "You ready?"

"Yeah," Tony shook the man's hand, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"I bet you are," Mel laughed as he walked down the hallway, holding the doorway open for Tony.

Tony kissed Lizzy before handing her back to Brooke. Smiling at his wife, Tony hummed a small tune to himself before using his arms to propel himself forward.

* * *

><p><em>For some reason only known to his previous self, Tony had a challenge coin of the Secretary of the Navy. Which meant that unless he got if off ebay or something along those lines, which was doubtful because Tony had found home much a coin like his went for on internet, meant that he rubbed elbows with some powerful people and according to the name on the coin, that Secretary had held office until a year ago.<em>

_Why did this have to be so difficult? Tony wondered on the days where all his leads left his feeling stretched out and exhausted. _

_If only it he could fill in the holes of his memories like Brooke fixed the tears in his son's clothing. _

_A challenge coin. A challenge coin and a knife in a belt buckle and a feeling of missing someone._

_It was going to drive Tony crazy if he couldn't find any answers._

_But then, not finding anything was the only thing keeping Tony sane._

* * *

><p>"Checkmate," Max said, smiling up at Tony, "I win again Dad."<p>

"You're cheating," Tony said with a laugh, "I know you are. You probably stole my Queen when I wasn't looking."

"Nu-huh," Max shook his head, his bangs covering his eyes until Max pushed the orange hair out of the way, "Papa Pete says you just aren't really good at Chess."

"Well maybe me and your Papa Pete should play some checkers, then we'll see whose good at what," Tony ruffled Max's orange-red hair before settling back against the cushion, "So, what's your mom been doing all day that's got her buzzing around like a bee?"

Brain bit his lip before shrugging, "I dunno. Papa TJ says its cause she's nesting or something like that but I think it's because I think people do that before they have a baby and Lizzy is almost two months old."

"Your mother operates on her own schedule though, so Papa TJ can be right," Tony laughed, "So you like school so far?"

Max shrugged, "It's okay. I like being here though, cause I like the horses and helping you and Mom with baby Lizzy."

"I know Max, but soon we'll be out for Christmas break and then you get two whole weeks to stay in the house all day," Tony said, thinking about the snow storm they were going to get sometime this week. He needed to go over the books to make sure they had enough reserve food for the horses and cows just in case the weather turned really ugly. He couldn't do the manual labor to help the Hudson farm but that didn't mean he couldn't help.

"Okay," Max sighed before biting his lip, "Can we play again?"

"Only if you promise me son that you'll at least let me have some dignity," Tony joked as he set up the chess board again. They were in the kitchen and Nate was outside helping Pete while his wife and the two little ones were in town, giving him and Max some one on one time.

"Dad, there's no dignity in chess," Max laughed before moving his first piece.

Tony smiled and remembered the shy little boy who had avoided him like the plague the first few weeks he had lived with him. He was so glad Max had finally come out of his shell.

* * *

><p><em>The final break in the case came the day Tony and Brooke had friends over, a couple that had just moved into town from the DC area.<em>

_The wife's name had been Samantha and her husband's name had been Joe and when she had started telling some of the stories that had happened to her in the last place she had lived, Tony had heard one word and had smacked something in his brain and had reminded of something from the holes, something that he had thought he had forgotten forever._

_Samantha had almost hit a dog one day, way back when they had lived in Virginia near DC. The dog, a German Shepherd, and gotten away from a nice man (Samantha's words not Tony's) and Samantha had almost t-boned the dog._

_And while the story had been said lightly, just one of those things that came up when Tony told people that he had been hit by a car, one name had stuck with him for the rest of the day._

_Probie. _

_He had heard that name before._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up. Started school on the 22nd and Nursing School is crazy. But crazy good. If there were such a thing. Anyway, thank you to all those who read and reviewed and etc. I'm glad you are enjoying this story. **

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

"Brooke?" Tony asked, looking at the piece of paper that was currently in his hands.

"It's…the kids, Pete and my parents got together and wanted…we wanted to surprise you honey," Brooke said quietly. She watched as Tony adjusted his hold on their daughter so that he could use two hands to open the brochure that she had just given him.

"But, I don't," Tony scowled and looked at the paper again. He didn't understand. This sort of thing cost thousands of dollars and Brooke didn't-

"We held a fundraiser. It was a secret, we wanted it to be a surprise."

"But…I-I don't understand."

It is quiet for the longest moments, the air settling on them so heavily that Tony wonders if the weight will break his still fragile back.

"His name is Jack," Brooke finally replied, "And I would really like it if you met him."

"Okay," is all Tony's mouth said as he looked at the piece of paper again, "Okay."

* * *

><p><em>Out of everyone, Pete was the only one who brought up the subject. Of course, he had known Tony when Tony hadn't been a Hudson so Tony didn't fault him for it. But he was also the one who came up with the weirdest of ideas.<em>

"_What if you were a Secret Agent and got your memory wiped? That would explain…well, almost everything," Pete said one day as he drove Tony to PT. _

_Tony scowled before answering, "Have you been watching that Bourne Identity movie with Nate again?"_

_Pete chewed on his piece of gum, Nate was trying to get him to stop chewing tobacco, and accidentally spit it into his spit cup out of habit._

"_Dangit," Pete grumbled before unwrapping another piece of gum and throwing it in his mouth._

"_Pete?" Tony asked again, knowing the older man was trying his hardest to ignore him._

"_Well it's not my fault you and Brooke decided to go on a date last week," was the only thing Pete said in response, still refusing to come right out and tell Tony he liked the Bourne movies. _

_Tony, who despite the situation and the mysteries surrounding him, smiled at his friend._

_No matter how he had ended up here, he was glad he had._

* * *

><p>Despite the similar coloring, Tony look could see the differences immediately.<p>

Jack was a mix as well, Brooke had mentioned a Great Dane and Labrador Retriever, but despite his larger size, he had the face and coat of Lee. And the ears. The ears were almost exactly the same.

Jack sat calmly by the chair, his tongue rolling out the side of his mouth and his lips pulled back in a doggie smile as they showed his white teeth.

"Hi Jack," Tony said, looking at the dog in front of him. Hearing his name, the dog's ears lifted and he closed his mouth. Despite his want to investigate the newcomer, Tony was glad to see that the dog was well trained and did not move from his spot on the floor.

"You must be Tony," a lady who had been talking to Brooke smiled at him. Tony was using his forearm crutches today, as his back and legs were cooperating with him this morning.

"Yes," Tony nodded, shifting his weight so that he could extend his hand for a handshake, "And you must be Irvine O'Brien?"

"That's me," Irvine smiled at Tony before gesturing for him to take a seat, "And this, as I'm sure you've guessed, is Jackson, or Jack for short. Jack come."

The big dog rose to his feet, letting out a brief yawn, before he walked over and heeled at Irvine's feet.

"Hi Jack," Tony said for the second time and wondered if he was making the right decision.

* * *

><p><em>Jackson, or Jack as Tony came to call him, was a very smart dog. He was trained as a mobility assistant service dog by Texas Hearing and Service Dogs. He was trained to provide assistance not only when Tony walked but also when Tony needed to use his wheelchair to get around.<em>

_After meeting Jack, Tony agreed to begin the training to take on a service dog._

_The training lasted a few weeks._

_By the end of the three weeks, Tony was so exhausted he came home and sleep for half a day. He was so tired that he when his back started to spasm, he wasn't even able to go get his medicine, and since he was home alone, no one could hear his cries._

_But that was okay, because Tony had Jack, who grabbed his bag and helped Tony take his medicine._

_And three weeks after Tony had been nervous about his decision, he was glad he had taken the chance on the three year old dog._

* * *

><p>Tony stood carefully, using the forearm crutches to get to the Kubota that he used to makes his way around the farm. The snow had melted, it was the middle of March finally, and Tony wanted to check on all the fences, make sure everything was in order.<p>

Even though he handled most of the paperwork now, Tony still felt a bit useless at times because he could no longer help with any of the manual labor.

Tony made sure he was all set before whistling, "Come on Jack."

The big black dog walked around to the other side of the ATV vehicle before hopping in. Tony grabbed the leash that was fasted to the bottom of the seat and buckled it against Jack's harness. They had done this a few times since Tony had gotten Jack a few weeks ago and now Jack didn't even bat an eye while riding the ATV.

"Pops," Nate said, walking out of the house, an apple in his mouth, "Can I come?"

"Don't eat with your mouth full," Tony scolded lightly, a smile on his face, "You'd think you were the same age as the Jake."

Nate smiled at the compliment before finishing off the rest of the apple.

"So Pop," Nate buckled in, and adjusting his Lettermen's jacket. A jacket, Tony knew, that had a State Champion's patch on it from this year for basketball. Nate had gotten the jacket last year but he had hurried to put on the patch after they won State, wanting to show off his badge of honor while it was still cold enough. And it was still cold out but it was no longer freezing. Which was good in Tony's opinion. The cold always hurt his lungs when he breathed.

"What's on your mind Nate?" Tony put the Kubota into gear and headed out on their property.

"I was thinking," Nate finally continued, once they were headed to the far end of the grazing pasture, "That seeing as it's my birthday soon…"

"In two months," Tony looked at his eldest, "You're birthday's in the middle of June Nathaniel. Now spit it out. What do you want?"

"Well," Nate smiled, "I mean, I'm going to turn what seventeen? I'm a junior already and I think, that, you now, I've come a long way since that little scrawny kid-"

"You were never scrawny Nate," Tony chuckled as they entered one of the pastures.

"Pops, are you even listening?" Nate laughed, not the least bit upset that Tony was not paying attention to him.

"I am now," Tony stretched his bad leg before using his arm to adjust his seat slightly, "What do you want Nate? A car?" Tony smiled at Nate, lifting an eyebrow.

Nate raised his eyebrows before laughing, "Now why would I want something like that?"

Tony laughed, totally not expecting that answer before rolling his shoulders, "What is it then? A raise in your allowance?"

"I don't have an allowance," Nate scowled, "Which brings up another point. Don't you think-"

"Back to the original question Nate," Tony said, avoiding a mud puddle and a boulder, "What do you want?"

"I want your blessing."

"My blessing?" Tony asked, looking at his oldest son.

"I've been thinking about this for a long time," Nate said, looking out into the fields, "And I know that I won't be a Senior for almost a couple months and that I won't be graduating for another year but the counselors at school are really pushing us to go to college and stuff and well I," Nate paused and took a deep breath, "I don't want to go to college."

While Tony's impulse reaction was to slap his kid silly, he paused, petted Jack's ears before opening his mouth, "Why not?"

"I want to join the Marines," Nate said quietly, "I want to, and I would really like it if I had your blessing Pops."

Tony stopped the ATV vehicle and gingerly turned to look at his son. Nate was broad and had finally started to really fill out. He would be a big kid, probably big enough, and good enough, to be scouted for college football. But the fact that he wanted to serve, wanted to do something good with his life, touched something deep inside Tony, something that reminded Tony of _before._

"Why the Marines?" Tony asked quietly, still processing everything that his son was telling him.

"It just," Nate shrugged, "It's the right thing to do Pops. I want to serve my country. I want to do something other than play college football or any other sport. And it's the right thing Pops, I can feel it, in my gut."

It was quiet then, for the longest time. Then, Tony spoke.

"Well, who am I to argue with someone's gut?" Tony smiled before pulling Nate into a hug. Man, he loved this kid.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ah! We are nearing the end to this journey. Almost there. Thanks to everyone who read and hugs to those who reviewed. And real quick, how about that season premiere? Who else wanted to give Tony a big ol' hug?**

* * *

><p>Chapter Five<p>

"Tony?" Pete tapped lightly on the door, before walking into Tony's room.

It was more of a study really, but it was on the other side of the house and it was quiet. Which was exactly why Tony loved coming here every once in awhile.

Before getting hurt, Tony had usually walked to the barn. But now that he was still unsteady on his feet, making the trek across the front yard just to think wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Tony turned from his coin collection and wheeled around to face Pete. Jack, who was relaxing on his bed by the heat vent, lifting his head and wagged his tail in greeting before laying his big head down.

"What's up?" Tony smiled, setting the Navy Coin down in front of the laptop.

"Brook just wanted me to check up on you," Pete said bluntly, "She says you've been in a mood for a bit since Nate told you guys about wanting to join the Marines. This have anything to do with that? Or that coin bugging you again?"

Tony huffed at Pete's gruffness, thankful that he wasn't one to beat around the bush, "It's not Nate that's bugging me. But maybe the coin."

"Did you have a dream or something?" Pete settled in one of the chairs, relaxing into the soft leather, "Cause you always get moody when you have a dream of before."

"No," Tony shook his head, "No dream. Just thinking."

"I wouldn't recommend it," Pete said seriously, but Tony saw the smirk just wanting to come out, "You know you always get into trouble when you start doing that."

Tony smiled, before lifting the coin off the table and flicking it to Pete, knowing the man would catch it.

"Secretary of the Navy," Pete admired, even though he had seen the coin many times before, "Always wondered where you would get a coin like that."

"That's just it," Tony mumbled, "I was reading about it on the internet this morning, while you and Nate were out checking on the horses. Only officers of the Navy get coins like that. And I pretty sure I was never an officer in the Navy."

Pete played with the coin for a second before throwing it back to the man he viewed as his son, "What's with all this now Tony? In the years I've known you, you've never wanted to find out about what happened before you woke up in those woods. Why now?"

Tony caught the coin, placing it back in its case before rubbing his face, "I don't know really. It all started after the party. Sam, you know, Samantha and her husband Rick who moved down here a couple of months ago from Maryland I think, well, she was telling Brook this story about a dog running in front of her car."

"Did she hit it?" Pete asked, raising a brow to show he didn't find anything particularly impressive about the story.

"No," Tony shook his head, scowling slightly at Pete, "But that's not the point. The point is that she mentioned the dog's name."

"Rex?" Pete interrupted again, smiling when Tony's glare strengthen in intensity.

"No," Tony shook his head, "It was Probie."

It was quiet for a moment before Pete deadpanned, "What kind of retarded name is Probie?"

"That's not the point!" Tony leaned forward in his chair, frustrated at Pete.

"Well then what is the point?" Pete asked, not at all fazed by Tony's anger.

"The point is," Tony shook his head and rolled his shoulders to release some tension, "The point is I don't know why, but I..I-"

"I ain't a mind reader," Pete spoke up, "So spit it out Tony."

"I don't know what the point is!" Tony finally answered as he ran his hands through his hair "That name means something, or I've heard it before or _something_ but I can't figure it out. And it's bugging the hell out of me."

"But why?" Pete asked in a blasé tone that if Tony had been able to, he would have walked over and grabbed the man by the shirt labels for being so dismissive about what Tony had just told him.

"What do you mean why?" Tony wheeled around, picking up the coin, "This is why. Probie and this coin mean something and they're from before. Why does that need a reason? Why can't I just want to know?"

Pete narrowed his eyes in what looked like anger but Tony could tell that the look was more along the lines of concern, "Why do you want to know now? Tony from what you told me, you've been this way for years. That's a long time. Why do you suddenly what to know now? I mean, you've been married for almost a few years now. Why didn't you work hard to figure this out before you got married? You didn't care about figuring out your last name back then. Instead you just took Brooke's name. Why does it suddenly matter that you know?"

"Because," Tony shook his head, holding the wheels of his chair so tight that his knuckles were turning white, "I want this story to have a happy ending Pete. That's it."

Standing up, Pete let his bad hip pop before he walked over to Tony and smacked him on the back of the head, supposed traumatic brain injury or not, "You stupid or something? What do you think this is?" Pete gestured around, indicating Tony's house, "You think Brook isn't happy she married you? Or that she's not the least bit overjoyed that you became a father to four beautiful children? You don't think you made TJ, Lisa, and hell, even me happy? What other ending are you hoping for Deuce?"

"No," Tony shook his head, "They're enough. All you guys, you'll always be enough to make me happy."

"Then what is it?" Pete asked, squeezing Tony's shoulder, "If we're enough, then why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Because," Tony let out a huff that sounded close to a sob, before taking a deep breath, hoping to contain the tears, "I can't help but feel as if I've left someone behind. That they're never going to get the same happy ending I have if I don't figure out what happened. And I can't-" Tony rubbed his eyes and wiped away the few tears that escaped before continuing.

"I can't look at you guys, look at my family, and not feel guilty that maybe, someone is missing me during Christmas, during Thanksgiving, or heck, even during my birthday, even if I can't remember it. And I think about that, how I would miss any of you guys if you just left or disappeared, and I know that I can't, I can't just go on forever this way. That, that I need to at least try and figure out what happened."

Pete didn't say anything after Tony's heartfelt confession. Instead, he pulled the chair closer, before sitting down across from Tony.

"You might not like what you find kid," Pete admitted, "There might be a reason you decided to forget about before."

"I know," Tony agreed, "But, but I have to try. One year. I'll look for one year and if I can't find anything, or if I find something that will hurt my family, then I'll never look or think about before again. That's all I ask Pete. That I get one year."

Pete rubbed the stubble on his face before nodding, "Alright then. Let's do it."

"Really?" Tony said, smiling at the older man, "You'll do that?"

Pete nodded before standing, "Now don't be getting all emotional on me. I ain't drunk enough yet."

Tony smiled, before pushing away from the table and towards the living room, where Brooke would be with Lizzy, "Thanks Pete."

"Don't mention it Tony," Pete tapped Tony lightly on the head before squeezing his shoulder once more.

* * *

><p><em>The break came on a day, a day that Tony was sure would never happen.<em>

_He had been looking through missing person's reports people from the Maryland, Virginia area around the time he first started to remember._

_And in searching for that, Tony had stumbled upon the public archives of federal cases._

_And in doing that, he had glanced at a name that would seem so insignificant, the article had only mentioned it once. _

_Probationary Agent…_

_Probie._

_He had known a Probationary Agent. And if Tony's gut was right, then he had known ones who worked with the Navy, thus the coin._

_And there was only one agency that had probationary agents that also dealt with the Navy._

_NCIS._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up. This is the last chapter to this story. All that's left is the epilogue and this whole series will finally be over. Once again, thanks to all who reviewed and read and also, thanks for your patience. **

* * *

><p>Chapter Six<p>

"So what, you're just gonna call the head office and be like, 'Excuse me, I know this might sound deranged and slightly weird but could you please check your records for someone that fits my description?'" Pete lifted an eye brow in question.

Jack, who had laid his broad head on Tony's lap, huffed in bewilderment when Tony adjusted in his seat. Tony was being fitted today for a walking brace for Jack to use with him, now that he had become more independent of the wheelchair thanks to his physical therapy.

It had taken a lot longer than he had wanted but Tony was finally walking back to almost 100%.

Okay, sure he was probably only at about 85% but that fact alone was incredible when many doctors had told him he would never leave his wheelchair again.

Tony scratched his face, his fingers going over the scars that he had gained when his face had met the road. Most of the cobweb looking scars (at least that's what Brooke called them) were covered by his hair but the ones that showed sometimes itched.

"Well, I was going to be a bit more tactful than that," Tony finally replied, "Besides, calling the head office is stupid. Sam, the woman who almost hit that dog remember? Well I called her and she remembered the address that she dropped that guy off at. I called it but the landlord said that the tenant had moved so I asked for the forwarding address and with the help of yellowbook online, I got a number. The guy though, wasn't there but his house sitter gave me his work phone when I told her it had to do with a case-"

"You lied?" Pete mocked gasped, pretending to looked shocked.

"Anyway, get this, the guy works at NCIS," Tony finally finished his story, a smug look on his face.

"Yeah yeah, your CSI for dyslexic people agency," Pete rolled his eyes though Tony could see where the man was both excited and concerned for Tony, "So? What he'd say when you call?"

Tony shook his head, "The guy was on his honeymoon, can you believe that? Not that he was on his honeymoon but that the week I actually get a monumental breakthrough, everyone seems to be out of town. And that was two weeks ago. I'm going crazy waiting for the phone to ring, or for him to call back or something."

"Well Tony, like I said-"

But whatever Pete was gonna say was cut off when Ms. Irvine walked in, caring a leather and metal contraption towards them.

"Here we are," she smiled and when she turned it, Tony could see the stiff handle and how it was designed to spread the weight evenly across Jack's shoulders, "Hot out of the machines for you Tony."

"It's perfect," Tony smiled before looking at Pete.

But Pete was starring at Tony with that face he wore when he wasn't comfortable with something.

And right now, Pete's stare had nothing to do with what was now going on in the room.

* * *

><p><em>The closer Tony got, the more he dreamed.<em>

_And dreamed._

_At first, the dreams didn't make sense. Too many things were happening at once. _

_It was almost as if now that he was started to unravel the tangle mess his mind was, the memories or dreams or whatever they were were starting to attack him with a vengeance._

_And the dreams, while they came back distorted at first, as if he cut parts out of different movies and tried to glue everything back together out of order, were actually starting to sort themselves out._

_And a few days after Tony had left that message, he woke up in the middle of the night with a name on his lips._

_Elf Lord._

* * *

><p>"I have to go Brooke," Tony said later that night as he used the kitchen table to open his laptop and all his "research".<p>

"Tony, I'm not telling you you can't go cause I know better than anyone how stubborn as mule you can be," Brooke placated, "But why don't you wait for that Agent to call you back? I mean, you took some measures to make sure he couldn't trace your call back to you, just in case, and now you want to go up there and meet him face to face…I just don't understand."

"My dream," Tony scratched his scars and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "I saw him Brooke. I saw McGee."

"Tony, what if your mind just-"

"No," Tony shook his head, "I mean, I saw him but my brain didn't say 'This is Special Agent Tim McGee'. In fact, in my dream I called him Elf Lord."

Brooke shook her head, "I know Pete's already argued with you-"

"Which is why he's coming with me," Tony interjected gently.

"I know, but Tony, this is our family. I want you to tell me, right this moment, if you are absolutely sure you need to do this. If you say yes, I won't question you about it ever again, no matter what happens. But you have to be sure. Because going up there isn't just gonna affect you. It's gonna affect us all whether you like it or not. So Tony, are you sure?"

Tony lifted his head and looked at his beautiful wife in the eye. His wife would had helped him so much, in not only his physical needs when he had gotten hurt, but she had healed his very soul, giving him something that he had strived for so long. He wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't absolutely sure he needed to.

"I'm sure," Tony whispered after a few minutes of silence, "I'm sure Brooke."

"Alright then," Brooke nodded, her face starting to crumble even as she tried desperately to remain composed, "Just make sure you grab a coat, in case it's cold up there or something."

Tony stood and using the table and Jack (who was already leaning against his leg to provide stability) Tony walked around the table until he was standing in front of Brooke, who was still seated.

"I love you Brooklyn Hudson," Tony said, bending down slowly, very very slowly, before taking his wife in his arms, "I love you."

And with that, Tony was headed north.

* * *

><p><em>Flying on the airplane was something Tony did not enjoy. His back hurt, his legs were cramped, and no matter what he did, his thoughts kept running in on continuous loop.<em>

_Jack, who was currently lying at his feet, let out a light snore._

_Looking __down __at __his __service __animal,__Tony __rubbed __his __sweaty __palms __against __his __jeans._

_Pete, who was currently sleeping in his seat, grumbled something that sounded remotely like that new Spy movie Pete had wanted to see._

_Tony looked out the window as the plane pierced the clouds, wondering about all the people underneath him, all the people who would die today, and all the ones that would take their first breaths._

_Tony would never meet any of them, and when he died, hopefully years and years from now, none of them would pause and wait as if something devastating had taken place._

_But Tony was no longer the wandering man he had once been. _

_And while a small part of Tony wished he had never taken that step into Pete's place all those years ago, the other part, the large part of Tony, wondered how he had ended up so lucky._

_No matter what, Tony decided suddenly in that cabin, with Pete at his side and Jack on his feet, no matter what happened in the next day or two, Tony was finished searching._

_He didn't need to look anymore. _


	7. Epilogue

**A/N: Its. Over. Two years to the day I posted the first chapter of this series, I give you the epilogue and the notes. Go and read. And thank you for everything. **

Epilogue

_Soon, __Tony __would __walk __through __the __doors __of _before _with __the __help __of __his __dog __and __think __of __his __family, __of __running, __and __of __the __coin __in __his __pocket __and __of __the __knife __that __had __been __in __his __belt __buckle. __He __would think of Pete, the man who had found him, Brooke, the woman who had saved him, and of his children, Nate, Max, Jake and baby Lizzy, and how each of them had, in there own way redeemed him and made him the man he was today. And with his family in his heart he would __hope, __because __hope __was __all __he __had __left, __hope __to __hope._

_And if Tony were to press the button to the elevators now, this would be what happened next, though he wouldn't know it at the time, for he had yet to take that first step of pressing the small elevator button with an arrow on it…_

Tony played with Jack's soft black ears, knowing that the movement was calming not only Jack, who could feel his partner's distress, but also himself.

From the moment he had started looking, Tony had played thousands of scenes in his head of how this would go.

But even if some of the scenes had been movie worthy, none could hold a candle to this.

Tim was still looking at him, and while the staring might annoy most people, Tony wasn't the least offended by it.

When you walked with a limp and used a service dog, people tended to stare.

Tony took a deep breath, hoping that whoever would walk through that door would walk through soon.

His memory of this place was still scattered across his brain, important pieces missing but still, Tony remembered parts.

Like how Tim had been _Probie_, how he hadn't always been the most self-confident guy and how for some reason, Tony had wanted to call him _Elf__Lord_ the moment they sat down in the conference room.

Then there was another. He was older and had more gray hair that Pete. The man was gruff too, and Tony touched the back of his head, the nerves back there tingling in memory.

Tony watched and waited and as he did, more scenes from his dream came back.

A girl, who was actually a women, who bounded everywhere it seemed, and wore black even though every time Tony dreamed her, she had been smiling.

Another woman, who shifted and changed into two women and Tony could never keep them straight but both had been friends and Tony had tried to keep both safe.

But nightmares filled with blood and gunshots always reminded him that he had failed at least one of them.

Tony was brought back to the present when Jack shifted positions.

Tony glanced up and stood slowly. Someone was opening the door.

* * *

><p>Gibbs could strangle McGee.<p>

He had just spent the last hour and a half convincing Leon to allow them to be taken off of active rotation so that they could actually look into Tony's case again when in the middle of making his point, he had received a phone call from McGee, telling him to come to Conference Room 1B.

Vance lifted an eyebrow in curiosity but didn't comment as Gibbs excused himself and quickly walked towards the conference rooms.

He grabbed the handle of the door roughly, his anger at the whole situation, not just McGee, coming through in the one movement and without knocking on the door, Gibbs twisted the knob and practically threw open the door.

Intent on slamming it shut to prove his point, Gibbs turned to face McGee, only to let the door close softly behind him.

"Tony."

Isanybodyouttherealonealone

A man walked through the door, like a hurricane sweeping through a beach front or a tornado roaring over a countryside.

And just like that, Tony remembered.

"Boss."

* * *

><p>"Tony," Gibbs took a step closer, still not believing that this man was standing in front of him, tall and proud and looking every bit the man Gibbs knew he could be.<p>

"Boss," Tony said again, his Adam's apple rising and falling as he worked to contain the emotions that swelled in his chest. This was the man that had taught him how to fight, the man who had showed him what taking care of someone really meant, who slapped him in the back of the head when he got off track and who had always been willing to listen about the important stuff.

The man, Gibbs- Boss, shook his head as he closed the distance between them. His eyes were wet but no tears fell from his eyes. He kept shaking his head, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and when he got closer, he lifted a slightly shaking hand to Tony's dark blue button up flannel shirt, his fingers ghosting over the buttons.

His eyes were the icy blue Tony remembered from his dreams and they met his own green ones, holding his gaze before traveling all over his face, their knowing stare taking in every change on Tony's face, from his pepper-salt hair to the scars and new laugh lines on it.

It was only then that his eyes returned to look at Tony's. Tony could see the moisture waiting to be released but something inside Tony knew that Gibbs, _Boss_, was fighting every emotion to keep the tears from falling.

"Ah Tony," Gibbs lifted his hand in an all too familiar gesture.

Thousands of memories of head slaps flashed through his mind but Tony didn't move.

But instead of striking out and hitting him, Gibbs reached out and cradled the back of his head, neither man moving.

"Boss?" Tony said again, as if his mouth was getting reacquainted with a long missed word.

"Yeah Tony," Gibbs said and Tony saw the wetness on Boss' face and felt the wet on his own.

"I think…I think I missed you Boss," Tony swallowed and his voice cracked, "A lot."

"I missed you too Tony," Gibbs smiled before pulling Tony close. He had waited too long to hug his friend-his family. Gibbs didn't think he could wait a second more.

And when Tony stepped in and buried his face in his shoulder and grabbed fistfuls of his jacket, Gibbs was glad he didn't have too.

* * *

><p>Abby was a women on a mission. McGee had summoned the rest of the team somewhere but she would not go.<p>

Tony was too close for them to start going off on some other tangent.

Abby would use her computer to find the man who had been like a brother to her before he had disappeared.

So when Wilson and Ziva and Ducky and Jimmy had all gone to see what McGee wanted, Abby stayed focused because she was determined. She would stay and find him, because he was too close and to let him slip through her fingers again would kill her.

"Abby."

She wouldn't let them deter her. She was determined. She was focused.

"Abby."

And then McGee was on her, his hands lifting her fingers off the keyboard gently, as if she might break. He grabbed her and lifted her away, and he kept trying to tell her something but she shook her head, she had just pulled up phone records when-

"Abby?"

She stopped dead in her tracks. It had been years, but she would never forget that voice.

Like the Red Seas parted for Moses, her friends moved away, McGee to her left and Gibbs to her right and there, right in the middle by Ziva and Wilson and Jimmy and Ducky was…was-

"Hey Abbs," Tony said softly, smiling a coy smile that Abby only remembered showing on his face when-when-

"Two thousand and two, Tony DiNozzo," Abby said, tears falling from her eyes, "Only you would come back on such a number."

And then she was running and jumping and falling but he was holding her and he was breathing and saying something but none of it mattered.

He was home and that missing piece of her heart was back where it belonged: right in her arms...

_But Tony didn't know any of that was going to happen, not at the moment. He was still waiting, looking at the elevator button and hoping for answers. He knew he had questions, and he was almost certain they would have their own. But like always, Tony did not know for sure. He had come to accept the fact that five years later, after that night in the woods, that he would never know. There would be no grand revelation nor would there be some magical moment like in the movies where everything was revealed. _

_Life was hard. It didn't make sense. It jumped around like a rhapsody sometimes, and flowed like a melody other times. It saved you with an interlude when you needed it the most and attacked you with a rhythm or a symphony of sound when you least expected it. But sometimes, sometimes the songs would come together for just a moment, and the rhymes would actually make sense and just for a moment, you held your breath, not wanting the moment to be gone. _

_And Tony accepted all that. He could not change it, just like he could not change his scars or his limp, or his green eyes or the gray and white in his brown hair._

_But he could hope, a kinda hope that came from his family, and with that hope, he could keep going, he could finish this all. _

_And it was with those thoughts in mind that Tony took a deep breath and pressed the elevator button, wanting to know, no matter what, how this part of the story - of his story- was going to end. _

_**Fin.**_


	8. Notes

**Notes:**

Because this series was the first series I ever undertook to write, I thought I'd give a little bonus to all those readers out there who started this journey two years ago.

Alright, to begin, when I first started writing this story, I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. However, this story, in the process of being written, changed many times. To begin with, I had never written in McGee's voice before and a few days before I posted what would have been the first story, _The __Unknown __Song,_I sat down and was inspired to write a quick one-shot of how the team would deal with Tony suddenly disappearing: this in turn became _The __Leaving __Rhapsody _which in turn spawned the other two stories which lead into Tony's re-appearance.

While McGee's story was pretty straight forward and flowed off the page like butter (yes, I know odd simile but oh well), Tony's story went through three or four revisions before it landed on what was Tony's story. The main components though were Tony was always going to meet a woman named Brookyln, or Brooke as her nickname is, and either she was going to have kids or they were going to have kids together. I think in one of the first drafts of this story Tony was admitted to the ER and Brooke was his nurse. But then I found that too weird and scrapped that idea. Then there was Brooke having three kids before she met Tony and I didn't like that idea either because then I had to figure out a way to kill and/or get rid of the kids' father and well, throwing a minor character off a cliff into a black hole just didn't seem realistic.

Then, there was a brief amount of time where the team was going to head out to Paris and find Tony and be like "oh-hem-gee Tony's got a family" but I didn't like that either and threw that out. There was another plot line that had Tony NEVER figuring out where he came from and McGee moving on and being okay with not knowing. But then well, I couldn't do that either. It made me sad just writing it that way and these aren't even my own characters. Another last little plot line before this final product was going to deal with Tony actually walking into NCIS and then making a wise crack at the Director like "where's you're tooth pick" before having a seizure and collapsing and/or dying but that little plot line made me horribly depressed cause I really didn't want to kill Tony so I threw that out the window as well. Then for a brief moment after that I was gonna end with Tony walking into NCIS and blah, be done with it, but I couldn't do that either because I could just see the pitchforks being hurled my way soo, I gave you an epilogue. So in the end, it landed where it landed. It just took a few detours to actually get there.

But to tell you the truth, this story was greatly inspired by two songs and my need to write the kinda fic that would be proud to fit in the angst section.

The first, which started this whole plot bunny in my head, was a song that I heard while sitting in the theater. The trailer for a movie came out and the background song was _Set __Fire __to __the __Third __Bar _by Snow Patrol. The lines that made my heart almost hurt were first, the whole first verse of drawing a map and seeing that the two places, in the view point of the map, were not very far at all "finger-lengths", which lead into the next line of "I hang my coat up in the first bar, there is no peace that I've found so far…"

With that line, I just imagined Tony, rambling around trying to figure out something, anything, and it was with that that lead me to write a good portion of _The __Unknown __Song._ It's a really dark and a very heart wrenching song and if you really want to "feel" what I felt, have that song play on repeat while you read that story again. And of course the chorus makes me want to cry, for no reason really. I just love this song that much.

The next song was a song that I heard on my mom's birthday while we were waiting for our desserts to come out. It's called _I __and __Love __and __You_ by The Avett Brothers. This whole song really was what inspired Tony and Brooke's love. Sure, I'm not sure whether or not the band meant the city when they sang "Ah Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in. Are you aware the shape I'm in? My hands they shake my head it spins. Ah Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in" but to me it sounded exactly like the girl I wanted Tony to marry. Realistically, marrying a guy that had no clue about where he came from would be hard for someone to do. But Brooke was just that sort of girl. And if you do look up the lyrics, the first verse, "Load the car…we are headed north" is what Tony tells Brooke in one of the last chapters.

Really, I can't believe it's been two years since I first posted this story. It's crazy, because I had no idea it would take _so __long_ to get this whole story out.

And lots of people asked me why the chapters always contained a musical component. Well, to answer that, I figured it music was my muse, and if you agreed with what Tony said in the epilogue, then maybe you would see why.

I can't believe this story is finally done. It was a pleasure to write and I hope you all enjoyed it. Is this the end? Yes. Will there ever be more to this story: No. I have said all I needed to say. It's done. I'm happy with it, and in fact, I did a little happy dance when I wrote the last word. This Tony is done, as is this McGee and the whole crew. They accomplished what they wanted to and Tony's finally back. Will Tony stay in D.C. or will he go back to Paris? Well, all I can say is, which one do you want him to do? And which one do you think this Tony would do? As for me, I have no clue. Maybe he would find a compromise. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe one day when he was old and gray he would suddenly remember everything. Maybe he would live the rest of his life with holes in his memory. But I can say that no matter what happened, Tony would have most defiantly found a way to work it out. And nothing would change that.

Thank you so much to everyone who ever read/alerted/reviewed to this series. I enjoyed every word.


End file.
